LAS VEGAS — Not even the lure of the neon lights and the prospects of pressing his luck on the casino tables early Sunday evening could force Manny Pacquiao from leaving his grandiose suite at the 51st floor of the Wynn Resort and Casino where he sought warmth and comfort after.
Barely 24 hours earlier, Pacquiao pulled off the biggest jackpot of his storied career with an eye-popping 10th round stoppage of Mexican legend Erik Morales at the Thomas and Mack Center of the University of Las Vegas.
For a guy who had to endure the best from someone like Morales, a sure inductee into the Boxing Hall of Fame, Pacquiao was not in a mood to make hay at the casino despite his reputation as a gambler.
What he longed for all day Sunday was a good massage.
He got it from training assistants Buboy Fernandez and Nonoy Neri who worked to ease the effects of the 10-round battle.
But pain and all, he still spent part of the day signing autographs, posing for pictures and chatting with those who trooped to his suite. A security personnel assigned to restrict the flow of admirers had to give up after a throng of admirers besieged room 5107, all eager to get a piece of the popular boxer.
Though his future is being hotly discussed, nothing has been firmed up for his next fight or who his opponent would be.
“Wala pang pinag-uusapan,” said Fernandez, who took care of Pacquiao’s torso.
Neri, a first-timer in America, concentrated on the boxer’s forehead.
“Ang sabi niya ay sobrang sakit ng kanyang noo,” said Neri. “Matindi rin kasi ang tama sa kanya ni Morales kaya’t doon ko siya minasahe ng husto.”
So, it was not only Morales who had aches and pains. But Pacquiao, at least, can take his lumps more happily.
“Talagang iba rin si Morales. Nandoon ang tapang at ang determinasyon na manalo kaya’t nakita naman natin ang kanyang mga binitawan,” added Neri.
Had the ending been close, Pacquiao and Morales would have already promoted their third fight sometime in May or June as there’s a clause in the contract that mandates them to meet again.
But since Pacquiao defeated Morales rather comprehensively, a rubber match is unlikely to take place, at least not in the 130 lb category.
Pacquiao’s chief trainer Freddie Roach was firm that his boy will not fight at a heavier weight.
“No way,” he said earlier.
Pacquiao came in at 128 ? lbs during the fight. The Filipino southpaw did not even attempt to reduce as he gored on beef nilaga, chicken broth, fruits, boiled eggs, rice and bread a few days leading to the fight.
So, don’t expect Pacquiao to jump up in weight and give Morales a chance in a lightweight duel because once he does that, he could be courting trouble.
“Manny is perfect at super-featherweight,” said Lito Mondejar, who is credited, along with Rod Nazario, as the men behind the meteoric rise of Pacquiao.
“There’s no need to go to lightweight. That would be unnatural for him,” said Mondejar, who joins Pacquiao on a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Manila on Wednesday night from Los Angeles.
